Imports from China were worth £42.6bn, whereas exports, largely made up from car sales, were worth £20.8bn.

Thames Water, Hinkley Point nuclear power station, Scottish flight comparison site Skyscanner, Pizza Express and West Bromwich Albion FC are among those to have recently received investment from Chinese companies and entrepreneurs.

But growth in China’s economy is slowing.

Official figures released last month showed its economy expanded at its slowest rate (6.6%) since 1990, while car sales in the country fell by 6% in 2018 – the first fall in two decades.

The rate of expansion has raised worries about the potential knock-on effect on the global economy.

Why is the South China Sea contentious?

Media captionIn August last year, a BBC team flew over the disputed South China Sea islands in a US military plane

Rival countries have wrangled over territory in the South China Sea for centuries, but tension has steadily increased in recent years.

Six countries have competing claims over the territory: China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei.

They dispute who owns ocean areas, and two island chains – the Paracels and the Spratlys.

It is possible the largely uninhabited islands may have reserves of natural resources around them and the sea is also a major shipping route and home to fishing grounds that supply the livelihoods of people across the region.

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